Journey through 1 Samuel

[OracleX]

Journey through 1 Samuel

As I have continued on through the Bible in this way I have got a great sense of time line and the flow of events.  How Isreal goes from being a mighty nation that doesn't loses a war to losing over 50,000 men to a lesser opponent.  The more they stray from God the less God helps them out.  The other thing that has really got me is that although this is the Old Testement, it has some stricking truths that are given in the New Testement.  Not that that was a total surprise, but I didn't realize just how much there was.

Well on in to 1 Samuel.  This is where we start to get some of the high profile history storys of the kings of Isreal and we are introduced to King David for the first time.

In chapter 1 we are given the story of Samuel's mother and birth.  Hannah, Samuels mother was baren and could not give her husband a child.  She was mocked by her husbands other wife without mercy and yet Elkanah loved Hannah the most.  Every year they would go up to the temple to worship and perform sacrifices.  She vowed to God that if He would give her a son that she would raise him as a Nazerite so that he could be a priest or judge of Isreal.  While she is praying in the temple asking God for this she was speaking in her heart but her lips were moving.  Eli the priest at the temple saw her and thought she was drunk and scolds her.  It is worth noting that as in our day, if people prayed differently than others, they were looked down upon.  Well Hannah was not drunk but pouring her heart out before God.

1:12,15  "Now it came about, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth. ... But Hannah replied, "No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD."
There are couple interesting things here.  First, Hannah wanted a son greatly and so she prayed to God.  But in verse 12 we see that as she [/i]continued[/i] to pray to God.  She didn't just fire up a ten second prayer saying 'God please let me have a son.'  In verse 15 we see she poured out her soul before God.  So many times in our lives we have things happen or not happen that take us to God in prayer.  But how many times to we continue in prayer, pouring out our heart and soul before God.  This is something that I am starting to realize in my life, that more time in prayer is needed.  If I spend 5 minutes a day in prayer, how much can I cover with God?  If you were trying to have a relationship with someone that loves you deeply and that you seek to love deeply too, how good and healthy would your relationship be on 5 minutes a day?  When is the last time you have poured out your soul to God?  God is real, our relationship with Him is real, so why do we not put the time and effort in to communicating with Him as we do other real relationships that matter to us?

The other thing that is worth taking note of here is that Hannah mentions the state of her heart to Eli.  When we are hurting and struggling with life, we are not ment to try and do it on our own.  Seek those who God has placed in your life for support and encouragement.  Eli replies to her:
1:17 "Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him."  And what was the effect of his reply?  1:18 "She said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad."  She went away and her face was sad no more and she ate some food (she was fasting).  We can touch others lives that can help bring relief to the pain they are going through.  Although Eli assumed that she was drunk at first, he was still able to recover from his misjudgement and encourage Hannah. 

1:19a "Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD."
This goes back to our relationship with God.  Many times you will read in the Bible that people got up early to spend time with God.  That takes dicapline, or atleast it does for me.  We tend to want to get as much sleep as possible and so getting up early for anything is not a welcomed idea.  Note too that she worshiped God.  She had spent the day before pouring her heart out before Him and now she worshiped Him.  Could it be that she knew that God had heard her prayers?  Could it be that she felt that God would answer her prayers?

God answers her prayers and Hannah gives birth to Samuel.  Hannah keeps Samuel at home till she has weaned him.  Then she is true to her promise to God and takes him to the temple along with a sacrifice.

1:26-28 "She said, "Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the LORD. For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there."
Hannahs response to God for His answer to her prayers.  Again as God was true in His answer to her prayers she was true to her promise to God.  Hannah leaves Samuel at the temple to grow and learn in the house of God. Now I am not a mother but I can't imagine how hard that would have been to do.  To want a son so bad then have to leave him at a young age in a place not near their home. 

 

[OracleX]

There are many that think that this was not a prayer done by Hannah as there are some prophetic things mentioned and that she prayed for the king which Israel did not have. The tone of the prayer is harsh at times and speaks a couple times of power and authority which seems out of place for one who was rejoicing to God over the birth of her son. It does seem more like a prayer or psalm of David vs. the prayer of rejoicing mother.

2:1-10
Then Hannah prayed and said,
"My heart exults in the LORD;
My horn is exalted in the LORD,
My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
Just want to put a couple definitions here first. Exult = to rejoice exceedingly; to triumph. Exalt = to praise; to elate with joy. This word exult shows up in Romans as well. It really is a neat word, basically exalted to the max or exalted squared. Hannah’s heart rejoices exceedingly in God, her heart triumphs in God. There is a lot of feeling and passion in that. Then it says that her horn is exalted in the Lord. The horn was typically a symbol of power and authority. She is acknowledging the source of her strength is in the Lord. And because her strength is from God, she can speak boldly against her enemies. Why? Because her salvation is from God. Everything we have that is good is from God.

"There is no one holy like the LORD,
Indeed, there is no one besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.
This is also from Deuteronomy in a few places 32:4 and 32:31. In fact most of chapter 32 speaks to the Lord being a rock and it really is a cool chapter about God. There is no rock like God. There is no foundation like our Lord, all other gods are as sinking sand.

"Boast no more so very proudly,
Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
For the LORD is a God of knowledge,
And with Him actions are weighed.
Here is a warning that we are not to boast and be proud and not to speak arrogantly. Why? Because God knows everything and He will judge our actions.

"The bows of the mighty are shattered,
But the feeble gird on strength.
Those who think they are strong will be shattered by God and those in Him that are weak will be made strong.

"Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,
But those who were hungry cease to hunger.
Even the barren gives birth to seven,
But she who has many children languishes.
Again the contrast coming in saying those who were full will be hungry and those who were hungry will be full. It continues to say that even the barren gives birth to seven but those who have many languish. This is a theme that is found elsewhere in the Bible too. There are many barren women in the Bible that God blesses with a child. This has also been used in the sense that just because you can have children doesn’t mean you should.

"The LORD kills and makes alive;
He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The LORD makes poor and rich;
He brings low, He also exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust,
He lifts the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of honor;
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S,
And He set the world on them.
He keeps the feet of His godly ones,
But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness;
For not by might shall a man prevail.
This is another popular passage of scripture. It can be used in many different situations. But I think that the main theme to it is that God is in control. He has a plan and in that plan many things happen, some that seem good to us and others that seem bad – but He is still in control. This passage reminds us that God created the Earth. Then it switches back into warning mode. Those who are walking in Gods plan, God keeps. Those who walk according to their own plan, they stay in darkness and are silenced. Then the last part is great, ‘for not by might shall a man prevail.’ We can not succeed on our might, only Gods.

"Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered;
Against them He will thunder in the heavens,
The LORD will judge the ends of the earth;
And He will give strength to His king,
And will exalt the horn of His anointed."
The last part of her prayer speaks strongly to those who do not walk in Gods will and go against Him. God will shatter them and the heavens with thunder against them. This reminds me of a battle that Isreal had where God killed more of them then the army did. From the heavens did hail fall and killed thousands from the fleeing wicked nation. The last couple verses go back to the comment made at the start. She prays for strength for the king and that God will grant power and authority to him. There was no king at the time and nor was her son to become king.

 

[Didymus]

those were hard times hannah lived in so she probably had a different attiude then is expected of women today.
I am studying 1Sam this month. so far I am up to chapter 19. Don t overlook the tie in of several psalms-8 in all I think - that David wrote at this time.
here is my poem for today.
When David went out to fight Goliath he diidn t go for wealth or pride
he went to defend the name of the LORD which Goliath had defied.
thought I had--David had to hide from Saul for about 10 years. namoi lived in Moab for ten years. I feel there is a connection aboit being gone for 10 years but I can t quite get it. maybe it s just me.

 

[Blessed-one]

1:26-28 "She said, "Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the LORD. For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there."
Hannahs response to God for His answer to her prayers. Again as God was true in His answer to her prayers she was true to her promise to God. Hannah leaves Samuel at the temple to grow and learn in the house of God. Now I am not a mother but I can't imagine how hard that would have been to do. To want a son so bad then have to leave him at a young age in a place not near their home.

the pastor at my church was using this passage as the base of a sermon on "Vows". He explained that at that time, having children was a woman's pride, same as today's parents having children who achieve high expectations.... um.... can't think up a better analogy, but having children was a serious and important matter in a woman's life back then (also, Hannah was being mocked by Eli's other wife).

Leaving Samuel in the care of the priests was like allowing your child to go overseas to a good university, or, allowing your child to study to be a preacher. It was very honourable to be able to serve God (for Samuel and Hannah), also, God's blessings overflowed, Hannah not only had a son, Samuel, she also had other sons and daughters. By fulfilling her vow, God had given her much more.

 

[OracleX]

Continuing on in 1 Samuel chapter 2 we find out more about Eli sons who were priests. Chapter 2 tells of how the priest would be provided by parts of a sacrifice. The process was that a tong would be stuck in to the meat that was sacrificed and what it picked up the priest would keep. The sons of Eli however wanted raw meat so they could roast it so they asked those offering sacrifices to give it to them. If they didn't they would take it by force. Needless to say this was a great and terrible sin before God. There is a quick mention here of Hannah having more children. Then it returns to Eli and his sons. Eli hears what his sons are doing and talks to them.

2:25 "If one man sins against another, God will mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?"
Eli was trying to tell his sons that they were not just sinning against a man but they were sinning against God. The rest of this verse says that his sons would not listen to their fathers words because God had already past judgment on them and they were to die for their crimes against God and His temple.

There is a quick little comment in the midst of the chapter saying that Samuel continued to grow in favor of God and man.

Then back to Eli and his wicked sons. Eli is spoken very harshly against for not dealing with his sons properly. Eli is reminded of how they were saved from Egypt and how they were chosen. He is scolded for kicking at God sacrifices and honoring his sons above God. He is told that they will die all in one day.

Something that I find interesting here is that it doesn’t say that Eli did the things that his sons did, but because he did not stand up to them and deal with them properly, he was guilty as well. Well all have responsibility, and just because we did not do a specific thing, to let it certain things go unanswered or un-dealt with, it is also a bad thing. I find that this is a sobering warning for parents to disciple their children properly in the Lord.

 

[Blessed-one]

and just because we did not do a specific thing, to let it certain things go unanswered or un-dealt with, it is also a bad thing. I find that this is a sobering warning for parents to disciple their children properly in the Lord.

our inaction and action can lead one to repentance or to hell...

 

[Didymus]

and later you will see that Samuel s sons were out of control too. Godly parent s do not necisarily mean godly children

 

[Didymus]

when reading through I Sam you should take the time to read the Psalms thtat were written during the events of chapters 19-24. There are several in the mid 50 s of pslams and 63,34,and 142. the heading at the begining of each psalm will help you identify them.

 

[OracleX]

In chapter 3 we find the story of Samuel being called by God in the temple. There are some interesting parallels to this story. First, God calls Samuel three times before Samuel understands that it is God who is calling him. Have you ever had a time in your life where you feel an urging in your life to do something and just ignore it? How about when there are mission conferences at your church each time you feel your heart stirred and desire to take part in missions. But each time you do not listen. Or how many times in your life have you found yourself doing something that is wrong and feel that you need to stop and yet don’t. So many times in our lives we either do not hear or do not understand God calling us and it takes someone else to tap us on the shoulder and help us. On the other side of the coin you could ask, how many times in your life do you see a friend or a love one ignoring or not hearing the call of God? How many times do you just let that go on by without helping them? Food for thought.

God then reveals to Samuel some of what is to come, mainly the fall of and destruction of Eli’s family. The start to this conversation with God starts off with some really cool words.

3:11 “The LORD said to Samuel, "Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.”
I am not sure how to take this verse. My initial take is that people like to hear the sort of news that was to follow. It is like when you hear that some famous or notorious person has been fired or caught doing something bad. It seems to buzz around really quickly and people tend to be excited by it in a sense. Not sure if that came out right.

In any case the Lord tells Samuel of the demise of Eli’s family as Eli did not restrain his sons as he should have. Samuel returns to sleep and when wakes up in the morning is asked by Eli what the message from God was. It is also interesting what Eli says to Samuel when he asks him to tell him what God has said. “May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you.” I am not sure if that is a threat or a curse or what. I am not sure either if Eli position allowed him to ask Samuel of everything that God told him. So Samuel tells Eli all and his response is wild!

3:18b ”It is the LORD; let Him do what seems good to Him.”
How many of us could just be told that God is going to crush you and wipe out your family and respond like that?! Eli knew it was from God and he accepted Gods’ response to his sin. That is trust and faith in God that He knows what is best and His plan is best.

3:19 ” Thus Samuel grew and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fail.”
I find encouragement in this verse. The Lord was with him and let none of his words fail.

The chapter finishes off stating that Samuel was established as a prophet and accepted as such.

 

[OracleX]

Thank-you for the tip Didymus, I will take a look a some of them tonight. I am past that part in 1 Samuel but I will go back.

Sorry for the delay in writting these up. I have found that God is speaking more to me through His Word and I am getting more out of His Word and it takes longer to write about what I have read. At this point I am almost a full book behind in my journey thread vs. my daily reading. I am on vacation next week with very little plans and hope to get caught up then. Also too I have given up games for 30 days to help get God back in center and devote more time to this.

I hope these are helpful to others. They really make a big difference to me to write about it. I find it one thing to read the Word, but another thing to take the time to write what it means to me.

 

[OracleX]

Chapter 4 starts off with Israel going to war against the Philistines again. In the first wave the Philistines beat Israel and killed about 4,000 men. They come back to the camp and ask why God defeated them on the battle field. So they bring out the ark of the covenant that it might bring them victory. When the Philistines heard that they had brought out the ark, they were afraid as they knew that the God of Israel was a mighty God. But when they fought, Israel lost thirty thousand men and lost the battle. Not only that, but the ark was taken by the Philistines and they killed the two sons of Eli.

Now a messenger comes and tells Eli of what has happened. About how they were slaughtered, how his sons were killed and how the ark was taken. When Eli hears the news he falls backwards off his chair and breaks his neck. Eli judged Israel for forty years. The final remaining verses mention the birth of Ichabod, whose name means ‘The glory is departed from Israel.’

Chapter 5 talks about how the Philistines parade the ark around its county boasting of their victory. But everywhere the ark goes God lays a heavy hand of judgment on the Philistines. The ark would get past from one city to the next so that God would leave their city in peace.

Then in chapter 6 the Philistines have had enough of the ark and the effects of it being in their possession and so the make arrangements to return it. They actually take great care in making sure that it is returned in good way. They send the ark along with jewels of gold as a trespass offering. They then send off the ark on a cart pulled by two calves. The Philistines send the cart off and say that if the calves take the cart one way, that everything that has happened to them was chance, but if it goes another way then God was the one who has judged them. The calves go straight in the direction that showed that it was God who did the things to them and not just chance. When the ark reached Beth-shemite the Levites took down the ark and sacrificed sacrifices that day. At this time God also kill over fifty thousand of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked in side the ark. They in return say, ‘Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall He go up from us?’ So they sent messengers to Kirjath-jearim to have someone come and get the ark.